Canada Employment And Immigration

Written by Patricia Tunstall

Canada employment and immigration laws were recently updated by the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, one of whose purposes is to enable Canada to attract the kinds of workers with skills to handle the challenges of employment in the 21st century. This Act covers both temporary and permanent residents of the country. Basically, a foreign national may not be employed in Canada without authorization under immigration law. Most of the time, a work permit is required for temporary employment, and is issued only after the government approves the offer of employment by the Canadian employer.

Canada employment and immigration laws are non-discriminatory, meaning, they permit anyone to apply to migrate without regard to ethnicity, gender, race, or religion. The new immigration laws for employment now emphasize skills rather than occupations. With an eye to building a dynamic economy, Canada seeks to attract skilled technical workers and tradespeople, as well as university professors. The goal is to appeal to workers who have flexible and transferable skills so they are able to contribute to an economy that is rapidly changing and knowledge-based.

Canada Employment and Immigration Laws

Migrants are chosen from three broad categories: Family Stream, Skilled Stream, Business Stream. To be selected from the Skilled Stream for authorized immigration, a candidate must be under 49 years of age, and capable of making an immediate contribution to the Canadian economy. Selection is based on a point system, which is allocated among management occupations, professional occupations, and technical, skilled trades and paraprofessional occupations.

Once these criteria are met, a candidate is then assessed by Citizenship and Immigration Canada representatives on the basis of education, official language (fluency in at least one of Canada's official languages, English and French, is essential), experience, arranged employment, age, and adaptability. One hundred total points are possible, and 67 points are necessary to pass. A different route is possible by becoming a Provincial Nominee, which involves applying to a selected province for immigration. Most provinces in Canada are allowed to play a more direct role in determining who migrates into their region by Canada employment and immigration laws.